Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

A bold endeavor but ultimately not for me

Good songs with a surprisingly driving rhythm, considering the slightly predictable style of music. An enjoyable listen, though not what I’d expected from the Byrds.

Glorious. 5 stars.

Did not like this at all. Not much of a country fan to begin with, and neither liked the singing nor the instrumentation. Everything sounded the same.

If I may complain about Spotify for a little bit, why oh why do they not have regular editions of albums? I don’t want to listen to half an hours worth of song that weren’t good enough for the original release and demos or rehearsal tapes unless it’s an album that I already know and like. I own a super deluxe version of Rumours because it’s one of my favourite albums, and it’s fascinating to see how these iconic songs came together. But it’s the actual album that I listen to most, not the demos. Anyway… The Byrds. I’m not even sure this is Country Rock. This is just straight up Country. What’s the distinction? Do you have to have lived in Tennessee at some point? On top of it being Country, it’s country of a very jerky, oompah variety that I’ve never enjoyed. The Country Rock label is starting to make more sense to me. It’s a Rock guy’s interpretation of Country, without the understanding of why it doesn’t necessarily work. I just prefer my Country with a bit more grit. This is amateur shit. Also, I cannot work out for the life of me if The Christian Life is supposed to be satire or not. It’s presented as if it should be, but it’s played so straight that it reminds me of every fucking sanctimonious evangelical motherfucker I’ve ever come across in my life. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

The Byrds really don't need to be on this list as much as they are, and this is probably their most bland album yet. Meh. No more Byrds please.

Basic

Classic folk, need to listen to more of them

Great album. Love the mix of country, bluegrass, folk and rock.

The Christian stuff was a bit icy for me, but I do like the sounds overall. You’re Still On My Mind, Pretty Boy Floyd, and One Hundred Years from Now were all very good in particular. Favorite song: You’re Still On My Mind. Rating: 6/10

Them there Byrds gone country!

Generic country. Not terrible, not great. Another one on here that is apparently influential but it's lost on me.

Favorite songs: Pretty Boy Floyd Pretty Polly (Master Take) Lazy Days (Master Take) Solid country rock album. A couple of sweet songs and overall an enjoyable country feeling.

Not my favorite- the lean into country is the template for todays pop country. Outside of the singles and nothing was delivered I don’t love the rest. Easy to listen to though

Listened Before? No Album Art: 3 / 5 (calls to a simpler time; really makes me wonder what I'm getting into) Looks like this album is later into the Byrds career than those that produced hits that I've heard before (Turn! Turn! Turn!, Mr. Tambourine Man, etc.). Opens with You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, which is a country-rock twang with pretty harmonization on top. This could easily be mistaken for some Workingman's Dead era Dead. So I've always understood The Flying Burrito Brothers "The Gilded Palace of Sin" to be one of the earliest Folk Country albums; however, this one predates it by a full year. And looking into its history, it appears this is album pulled Gram Parsons (also from The Flying Burrito Brothers) into its fold. Makes sense there is such a clear continuity of the sound here. Beautiful writing and pretty arrangements throughout. I have a weakness for Folk Country and this is well done. You Don't Miss Your Water is an early highlight. Slow, but earnest progression with bluesy lyrics, beautiful harmonization, and fantastic mixing that layers the plunky piano, trudging bassline, and acoustic guitar to perfection. Yeah, this is the kind of album I can fully sink myself into and just vibe with. Song after song, I am pulled deeper into its orbit. I'm halfway through at Hickory Wind and loving it. While I could see how this might not be someone's cup of tea, I think the songwriting is immaculate (lyrics and arrangement), the production quality is superb for the era, and there is a range to the songs that Parsons goes on to refine in his follow on work with Flying Burrito Brothers. One Hundred Years from Now features a more upbeat jam with some clean Garcia-esq guitar work. I'm completely consumed by this album. The Gilded Palace of Sin is one of my favorite albums for a long drive, and this feels like a natural continuation (in the form of precursor) from Gram Parsons. While this album does not contain as many natural high points as Gilded Palace, it is extremely solid through and through. On a relative scale, Gilded scores higher in my mind, but this is a very high 4 (like 4.8). I'm going to give it the nudge to a 5 and plan on ripping through it all summer. Added to Library? Yes Songs Added to Playlists: - You're Still On My Mind (Sunny-vibes)

I really enjoy old country music and have been waiting a while for an album like this. There is something about this album that just makes you feel good. The album is a bit homogenous, but I think it is really well done and doesn't really have any low points. I really prefer 60s albums like this compared to bands like the Everly Brothers. 3.5 rounding up

This may not be true but this album sounds like it could be the invention of American folk/bluegrass. It is very solid all the way through. I believe we had another Byrds album earlier which was much more psychedelic sounding which I definitely like more. But this was a very nice early morning in Seattle while I woke up super early because of jet lag.

Pretty pumped for this after the first Byrds record was a pleasant psychedelic surprise. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wtf was that Byrds. It probably doesn't deserve a 1 but the Christian song at the beginning made me want to vomit. I want to give it a 1 so bad but there were some good moments musically. Lots of pedal steel which I love.

hot garbo

Good stuff. These guys just were all over the place huh? Good thing I’m in a country mood lately. I liked the slower ones a lot.

I’m usually not a country fan but this was pretty good.

A really good early country. Rock album. A little less jangly sounding than most Byrds music. Clearly a progenitor of bands like Poco, New Riders and the Eagles among many others. I especially like the lead off Dylan cover.

At what point does this just become a different band? Subbing out David Crosby and Gene Clark for Gram Parsons just totally changed the sound of the Byrds here. I do like this album and the accessibility it brings to some pretty country music. “The Christian Life” was funny and the harmonies were good throughout. “Nothing was Delivered” sounds like it had some serious influence on Tom Petty.

A little more country than I expected, but still pretty meh.

It’s ok, I can see they are really happy

The Byrds seemed like a good rock band (in their time and genre); why did they make a country album? It sounds pretty boring, and the lyrics to many songs are weird and creepy. Which was par for the course in the '60s, but you're supposed to make them more abstract and poetic, at least. And was "The Christian Life" meant seriously or ironically?

Kinda cool old country. Twangy, dark songs. Kind of Jesusy. Not bad

I thought I liked Country more than I actually do I guess. Only a 3 for me.

It was ok. None of the songs really grabbed me though. 2

I thought I liked this album more, some pretty good pedal steel moments I guess. You ain’t goin nowhere is a classic. Gram parsons voice always has kind of bothered me

This is the kind of country I don’t like. He doesn’t even sing like he cares

The Byrds went from a folk and pyschedelic rock group to a country rock one with this album which was a very influental one. I usually don't enjoy country that much but I liked this album. It's short and very nice, with some really great songs written by Gram Parsons.

Too old

Tonight on The Littleist Hobo…

Now, this is some Cracker Barrel shit right here. This album was a touch more lively than Southern Baptist church music, only a touch though. 2/10

Well I’m not a country fan so my critiques don’t matter. It’s not going to get a high score. This is mostly blue grass. Slow, boring, can’t wait for this album to be over. Why does it have to be so long? 2/10

An actual surprise for me on this one. Country rock/folk feeling throughout that had me tapping my fingers along to the beat while i was cooking. I like that they sing about depressing things while making it upbeat and I would listen to this again in certain circumstances. Made me feel like I was back on the farm again. 7/10

I suddenly have the urge to play Red Dead Redemption. What’s worse than Country music? Christian Country music. There were parts I enjoyed, banjo pickin has a great novelty sound to it. Not sure if there were two singers but whoever was singing on ‘The Christian Life’, I did not like his voice or any songs he sung. There are two tempos on this album: square dance & slightly faster square dance. Really generic country music all said and done, felt like I had heard all these songs walking around bass pro shop. 4/10

60’er country rock, men ikke rigtig på den charmerende måde

this album was more than i expected. i listened three times. i really enjoyed the dark themes without the dark instrumentals. HONKY TONK!!!!!

Hopefully one I day I'll find a country album that I like. Today is not that day.

boring

One listen was enough Album did zero for me Bit of a disappointment 2/5

Ugly byrds.

You’re not making country music any better, you’re just making the Byrds worse

How dare you call this any kind of rock. I truly hate twang

Listened Before? N Very interesting album. One of the earliest crossover attempts. I love that it rattled cages in Nashville, and I absolutely LOVE the cover art. The music is nice, although it does drag on near the end I enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

They should turn turn turn back from this sound and go back to their more psych/pop stuff

No….just no. Too twangy. Terrible.

Good thing I like the Byrds, because my journey now includes 3 of their albums, 2 Gene Clarks, 1 David Crosby, & 1 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. HL: “You Ain’t Going Nowhere”, "You're Still On My Mind", “Hickory Wind”, "Nothing Was Delivered", "Pretty Polly" (bonus track) It gets a little snoozy at times, which might be because my love of country music is conditional and fickle. I have the Flying Burrito Brothers as well as Gram Parson's solo stuff to see whether this particular strain of country rock gets more interesting. Sweetheart of the Rodeo is still a pleasant listen overall, but the more albums I hear by the Byrds, the more I feel the 3 stars I gave to Younger than Yesterday was too harsh. October 12, 2023

Forgettable and bland

This is prime old man country. That real grandpa country. That real yeehaw bullshit.

I've always enjoyed the Byrds for the cryptic jangly guitar work, vocal harmonies, and keen pop sense. I've never heard his but seen the album float around in various places for a long time. I loved this. The inclusion of Gram Parsons, Jay Dee Maness, and Lloyd Green was a perfect, and logical, fit. Mostly covers, and a traditional tune, this 60s psychedelic pop group made a really solid and genuine country (or country rock/Americana) album. You would think it would get old after a while, but Sweetheart of the Rodeo does a great job of keeping the listener interested with each song introducing some other element or variation with the best of it blending the bands older style with the western twinge. This brought to mind Grateful Dead's American Beauty and, ironically, David Crosby's work on Deja vu.

Too many christian themes for my taste, though the music itself was pretty good.

Really interesting historical country rock artifact! Not for me :)

It's a solid late 60s folk rock. I mean as a whole, it isn't exactly my cup of tea, and I think this list gets a bit heavy handed with it specifically, but it was still a very pleasant sounding album. The harmonies throughout were very good, and the instrumentals were simplistic in nature but fit the vibe very well.

Rootin' and tootin'

A fun and tight little country piece by the Byrds

First side was pretty generic, but the second side was more memorable. Nothing amazing, lots of twang and country-style rock that I didn't really love.

So apparently The Byrds had a country rock moment. I actually really liked how this album started, the first two songs both sounded interesting and somewhat modern. They're country, but in a fairly low-key nice way (I could have imagined The Avett Brothers or Jason Isbell or someone singing). And then it took the hardest turn that I absolutely did not see coming. Song #3 is "The Christian Life" and it's something. If I'm supposed to take it at face value, its possibly the worst song I've ever heard. If I'm not supposed to take it at face value (and it's like a parody of old conservative country fans) then it totally misses the mark for me and throws off the whole vibe of the album. I like to think its the latter (the Southern drawl was particularly over the top strong on this song, so maybe...), but it still just does not work. After that, the album settles into a perfectly fine but generally uninteresting country album. I guess this album kind of took country rock somewhat mainstream so maybe I should be giving it more credit, but I just really didn't think there was much interesting happening after the first two songs. The original album does end with "Nothing Was Delivered," which was written by Bob Dylan. I did like this one too, so this at least was bookended by good songs. The Spotify version has some additional songs that were added later, they're ok and are generally less "country" than the rest. There's also a few rehearsal takes on the Spotify version that are skippable. Apparently this album totally flopped back in the day, but is now considered to be pretty important for country rock. I think its largely just fine, occasionally quite good, and at one moment truly awful. A bit all over the board, but I'm glad I heard a few songs on this at least. Favorite song: You Ain't Goin' Nowhere Other: I Am a Pilgrim, Hickory Wind, Nothing Was Delivered

Sympathique, pas révolutionnaire non plus.

De la bonne country, pas mal dans l'absolu mais ça ne résonne pas particulièrement avec moi.

Too country

Sweet, melodic, folk tunes.

I'm finding that I really didn't know much about the Byrds. This was kind of a surprise but a very nice one. A little country, a little folky, and little old-timey...is there rock here? I might have missed it. But it’s all good.

I thought that I would like this one more than I did. The description sounded like it might appeal, but the listening experience did not thrill me. It wasn't bad, and I found the second listen more enjoyable, but not quite enough for me to really get into it.

Outstanding. Very enjoyable.

I loved this! Not what I expected from The Byrds. But then again I expected that.

was this influential for country-rock? absolutely. did I want to listen to a man talk about choosing the Christian life for nearly three minutes? no.

I understand the musical importance and can see how contemporary artists I really like, like Kacey Musgraves & Jason Isbell trace back to Graham Parsons. But I'm a still a little resentful that what feels like the entire Byrds & all related artists' discographies are on this list.

Very folky

Admittedly, I am extremely biased about this album, as it already is one of my favorites of all time. I love the Byrds as a whole, but this album holds such a special place in history and in my musical journey. I think what is lost about this album on most people is the context of this album, a rock band (who had dabbled in country before) going full country, with one of early country rock's seminal figures, Gram Parsons, joining in and putting forward his most iconic song, Hickory Wind. Ultimately, is this the most mind blowing album now? Most likely not. In fact, I think at this point, I prefer Parsons' output with the Flying Burrito Brothers more. But it was very groundbreaking at the time, and is one of the most important albums of the genre. I mean, Gram Parsons, Roger McGuinn, and Chris Hillman? It doesn't get much better than that.

Two of my least favorite music genres all rolled up into a dung beetle snack: country & christian music.

i have this weird inclination to marry my cousin......... fav songs: you aint going nowhere, pretty boy floyd

Mid

Never knew the back story on this side of The Byrds and who was in the band at the time. Pioneering country rock sound.

This album has Gram Parsons’ written all over it. I already have given him ample credit for the country rock sound so won’t uplift the rating again.

I think that the departure of Gene Clark sapped all the creative energy out of the Byrds and little that they did afterward compares to his solo outings, especially the “No Other” album that we were sent, also recorded in 1968! This LP contains only two original tunes, and while I don’t mind country, it sounds very contrived, especially the Chicago middle-class kid Roger McGuinn donning a deep south accent for "The Christian Life". My co-judge says they should have stuck to psychedelic folk.

Month after month, year after year, this list keeps serving me up Byrds albums and daring me not to like them, and I just keep rising to that challenge. This album is fine, just like all the others, but just like all the others, it leaves me feeling pretty flat. This is especially true after seeing what Bob Dylan had been doing with folk for years at this point. I will say that this album takes on more of a country feel, which works for it, since it gives it more character than a lot of 60s folk albums. I can dig some slide guitar 3/5

Rubbish

I listened to this album when I was having a panic attack due to aggressive drivers around me on the highway. It was soothing. I listened to this album again sitting in front of my computer. It was aggravating. Definitely not my favorite from the Byrds. I normally like most of their music, but I think I've had enough of the country influence for a bit. Less than half of it was enjoyable (8 out of 19 is close, I'll give them that).

Se suposa que aquest disc és moltes coses: el resorgiment de The Byrds com a banda iniciadora del country rock, el naixement de Gram Parsons com una estrella, el punt de partida de tot un génere.... Jo només sóc capaç de veure una davallada en la creativitat pop del grup respecte als treballs anteriors; es posen a la ma de Parsons per escriure una nova pàgina en la seva història, que no deixa de ser interessant, però queda molt lluny de ser la millor

Wasn't expecting this to be so country as I only really know The Byrds from "Turn Turn Turn" and their psychedelic rock era. Nevertheless... I didn't exactly love this though I guess I understand their importance to country rock and all and why it made it to the list. I'm sorry but I had to bail, just the same stuff over and over. 4/10

So, this was unexpected. I had no idea the Byrds became a country band. Very odd. Not bad, either.

More of a country sound due to the influence of Gram Parson who subsequently left the band. Its certainly not my favourite Byrds album, alienated some of their fans, and although critically aclaimed did not give them commercial success. Times a healer though, and this is a fine album, and of course contatins the fabulous You Aint Going Nowhere.

Ok so they helped create the country rock genre. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Always a good listen

очень кантри)

This band definitely played around with some different genres. Not sure I expected this out of them - even after reading the album title. It's a solid country album by a group of good musicians. I just don't really like it. As a fan of their other stuff, it made this a little extra disappointing in some ways.

Un peu trop prêchi-prêcha pour moi, mais beaux accents western

Everybody’s favourite cover band, ey? Thoroughly ruined by auteur theory, I struggle to get over the Byrds’ paucity of originals, though I love “Eight Miles High”; you may not think me an idiot for that. This album baits my prejudice out: while I appreciate what their transformation “Bells of Rhymney”, this sounds like standard plink plonk country rock to my untutored lugs, albeit with hippy vocals. I’ve decided to be a jerk and just listen to this once, and let this mean opinion ossify. Simon, waiting for your refutation. Before listening to this I bought “The Gilded Palace of Sin” in anticipation of wanting to hear more Gram Parsons. Now I’m all ha ha the Byrds hired a slide guitarist and a plink plonk pianist to go country, and then had the piss kicked out of them at the Grand Ok Opry for being poseurs.

One of those "classics" I've never spent any time with. A few songs are decent but it mainly sounds like parody and gets quite irritating. Gram Parson's solo records are a bit better, probably due to Emmylou Harris. Generous 3

Just some good old Byrds. Wouldn’t change if they could. Fighting the law just like some new modern day Robin Hood.

"The Byrds' move away from rock and pop towards country music elicited a great deal of resistance and hostility from the ultra-conservative Nashville country music establishment" and from me

I struggled to get through this one but it was a bit better the second time through. Fave track Blue Canadian Rockies.

Ok, this is my 4th (and I assume final) Byrds album from the list. They go folk and country on this one? Yeah, pretty nice! Good background listening, but not much grabbed my attention, which is now my verdict on 3 out of the 4. (I liked the psychedelia of "Mr Tambourine Man" so I guess that's my fave of the bunch.) Fave track - "I Am A Pilgrim" - thought it sounded like something from the "Anthology of American Folk Music" - bit of an Appalachian feel maybe? And sure enough, it was their arrangement of a traditional song. Nice.

This has some alright songs. I suspect it's included on the list because it's a bit of a quirk of musical history and not so much because of the actual quality. We'll call it a 2.5 rounded down.

Too much country for this guy

I found it to be un-inspired. On songs like "The Christian Life" the performance is almost a mean-spirited parody of Country-Western culture and music. I can see why this record didn't go over well with Country fans when it came out. Given the rest of their catalog it seems insincere.

"Sweetheart of the Rodeo" is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Byrds. It was recorded in Nashville and LA. with the addition of country rock pioneer Gram Parsons and a number of session musicians. The songs are mostly covers of country and folk songs. The album was originally conceived as a history of 20th century American popular music including country, jazz and R&B by vocalist and guitarist Roger McGuinn but was steered by Parsons to purely country. It is widely recognized as the first album of country rock and seminal in the progressive country genre. It did not do well commercially reaching #77 in the US. The album opens with "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," a Bob Dylan cover from what would become his basement tapes. It has the distinctive Roger McGunn's vocals and Byrds' harmonization but the music is definitely country including Lloyd Green on the steel pedal guitar. Lots of steel pedal guitar on this album. We get a fiddle and banjo going on the traditional Christian hymn "I am a Pilgrim." Chris Hillman on the vocals. They cover The Louvin Brothers' "The Christian Life." McGuinn singing in a southern twang. Doing a better job than Mick Jagger tried to to do. JayDee Maness now on the steel pedal guitar killing it. The second side begins with a Gram Parsons' original (co-wrote with Bob Buchanan) "Hickory Wind," my highlight of the album. Parsons on lead vocals. Female backing vocals. Banjo, fiddle, piano and steel pedal guitar. It is a nostalgic song about climbing a tree as a child comparing to the perils and pursuing of fame. Parsons get lead vocals again on the Merle Haggard cover "Life in Prison." Dual simultaneous steel pedal guitar and piano solos. The album is bookended, closing with another Bob Dylan basement cover "Nothing Was Delivered." There's actually hints of rock as the song alternates between a rock beat and straight-forward country. The goods were failed to be delivered. We can only assume drugs. I woke in the mood for a bunch of waltzes and the wish was granted. This is what makes doing this random album challenge worth it to me; there's little chance I go back listen to and research the history of a Byrds' country album. Glad I did. Besides McGunn's vocals and the harmonies, there's little resemblance of The Byrds as you knew them. A complete transformation. Country rock???? This is country. The session musicians were great especially Maness on the steel pedal guitar. All the Parsons lead vocal and written songs were the highlights. Parsons would leave the band before the album was released on to other things. I know those things are upcoming in my future; I'm looking forward to that.

A straight-forward country album by a British group. I appreciate the Louvlin Brothers track. All played competently, inoffensive when on, just... fine. Favorite tracks: "The Christian Life", "You're Still On My Mind"

Country music is very much a hit or miss to me - I've said it before and I'll say it again. For every moment that delights me with the rhythm of fiddle and banjo, there's another that nettles me with vocals that caterwaul about the good ol' days. It's embarrassing to admit that my good track record with this genre comes from video games imitating or paying homage to it ... The Byrds should probably be thankful that I'm choosing to only listen to the standard editions of these albums, because eleven songs seems a good enough number to avoid overstaying my welcome. This is one of those albums where when I start to grow bored of, come pleading and begging for me to return with a song that just captures my attention enough to stay. But honey, if you want me to stay that badly, you have to try harder than that.

Their most consistent album as they move into a warm country rock fusion that was still very novel at the time. This was the first album that got me to appreciate country, and acted as a gateway for 70s outlaw and 90s alt country. Huge fan of their iconic harmonies. It's fast and displays 50s rockabilly aspects to pull in rock audiences. It's hard not to like parts like the gorgeous instrumental bridge of "Life in Prison." Strong intro (a catchy hit) and strong closer (a dramatic bang). Most songs stick out, and it's a slideshow of their talents (mostly Gram Parsons) with 11 songs in just over a half hour. Favorites: You Ain't Goin Nowhere, You Don't Miss Your Water, You're Still On My Mind, One Hundred Years From Now, Nothing Was Delivered

Twangy, bright and bold country from the Byrds Boys. I've always loved this take on The Christian Life, as it can be taken either literally or as an ironic sort of dig. I can hear it both ways. And The Byrds were, to these ears, THE best at Dylan covers. The sparkle and harmonies they add to a Dylan number make it zing like nobody else ever.

First 4 chords of track 1 and my instant thought was... I'm gonna hate this!! The Byrds have created loads of great music, but this country album isnt one of them, this creation is little more than dreadful. Nothing else to say except, I hate this album with a passion. I hate country music with a passion.

Not great

Cowboy country. Fun.

Had a good easy-listening sound, but ultimately not an engaging listen for me.

I LOVED this.

Loved it

Too country

I had no idea the Byrds went country. Interesting choice.

Right as I was pining for the old feel of Austin & San Antonio country, this album pops up. I'm impressed with this Californian band, and it seems Gram Parsons had a lot to do with the sound on this album. When I think of country rock, I usually think of The Rolling Stones, but I'm stunned at how good this is. I love classic country & country-rock, so I'm adding this to my favorites. 4.5 stars

Was not expecting this from the Byrds. Didn't care of it at all.

pretty good stuff. Interesting this is the first country rock album.

Much more country than I was expecting, which isn’t a bad thing, it was just a bit of a surprise.

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere 1.5-2/5

Pretty decent country.I enjoyed it.Maybe not the most memorable thing in the world but it’s relatively short and decent.

For me outdated

Probably on the list for its influence and not because it still holds up today. Surpassed by many modern country records and feels very formulaic. Started off strongly but fell apart shortly after, not one to relisten to again but not awful in the moment.

The other day I had a discussion about gatekeeping in Nashville and how that basically lead to Americana as shorthand for Country music that doesn’t get airplay on the radio. How important forward thinking artists like Margo Price and Jason Isbell are basically exiled from the Country charts because they are too liberal. The Byrds debuted this new sound (spearheaded very much by Gram Parsons) at the Grand Ole Opry and neither Country or Rock wanted anything to do with it. The Rolling Stone review is conflicted saying it’s too pretty to be country and too country to be rock. The charts weren’t kind to the album either. No one knew what to make of it. It would build over the years and become considered a masterpiece. It was the opening salvo of Parson’s Cosmic American music. It was a sign of things to come and the last great Byrds album. They had come a long way from the Dylan disciples bringing his message to the masses. In a way it marked the end of the folk revival. The Parsons songs are the highlights. A bright shining star that flamed out all too soon. He would take Hillman and start the Flying Burrito Brothers. This left McGuinn to carry the band (an all new band) forward. The Grateful Dead would see some success with a more Country Rock sound in the seventies. Lynard Skynard would distill the sound into Southern Rock and really make some waves with it. Artists like Uncle Tupelo would expound on the idea many years later. And then there are all them “Americana” folks from earlier (Isbell and Carlile and company) who can find a niche outside of Nashville because of a failed album by the Folk Rock titans.

I only know one song by The Byrds, and it isn't even by them, and it isn't on this record. I see there are several other Bob Dylan songs on this record, though. Is this just a covers album? The version I found only has 11 songs on it, and no, I will not be looking for the longer version. 20 more minutes of this?! 2 / 5 stars.

could not make it more than three seconds into track 1. way too country for me.

A time when Country-Rock was great before The Eagles ruined it forever.

The usual late 60s/early 70s country noodling. Nothing to see (or hear) here... 2/5

Woof

Really hate this.

Oddly effective for this type of thing

There are so many things I'd rather be doing than listening to the Byrds' country album, including but not limited to committing arson and getting a prostate exam. Dogwater. I can't think of a more boring and vanilla band than The Byrds. They might be influential in pioneering the folk rock genre or whatever, but they're the ultimate "product of its time" band that has zero appeal to modern ears. They just didn't stick in the same way that The Beatles, The Beach Boys or even The Kinks did. Have you ever met a hardcore Byrds fan younger than 50? I don't get why these guys have 5 albums on this list - "Mr. Tambourine Man" is understandable at least, but anything else is mega overkill.

I like other Byrds albums...this one was...ok.

I love this album and I really enjoyed listening, but it is bad. Lazy writing, unoriginal chords and structure, lackluster performance. The runtime is too short, especially since two are gospel songs. The production was good and the Byrds definitely have their unique sound, but that doesn’t save this album. Quite a vibe though. 2/5

60s hippie country sounds similar to bob Dylan sometimes 2.5

Interesting, but no thanks.

Good quality country covering bluegrass with banjo and violins and also country ballads and storytelling. Just too country and twangy for my taste.

Whoo boy. A fun listen, I guess, I liked it a little more as it wore on, at least to a point. It's hard to fault the songs they picked and the execution is solid. But an hour of it is a pretty big ask. I defer to the experts whether I actually needed to hear it. 3.5 rounding down for length and the indulgence of including rehearsal takes.

Þarna fóru Byrds-liðar 100% út í köntríið og misstu mig þar með. Ekkert spes.

Honestly enjoyable. I’m a little out on religiosity in lyrics, but it’s more humble Baptist Christian rather than evangelical. I really enjoy the full country ensemble twang band with just the right amount of fiddle/violin and weird instruments that sound like they are cobbled from someone’s backyard junk. You can hear some current artists which is what I like about these seminal albums

Solid country and western with a bit of rock edge here and there

Its country.

Cozy country, but nothing that stands out honestly. I didn't listen to the lyrics that much, so maybe it's about pain and misery, what do I know. Definitely something I could put on if I was in the mood for some country background music though.

A pretty standard country album. If you are in the mood for some country this is decent but nothing special for me. It finishes on a high note with Lazy days and Pretty Polly. Those songs are maybe the least country songs on the record as well.

This was not enjoyable.

Klinkt als een standaard country plaatje

Not really my thing. Very old country, but with a slightly weird christian spin. Kind of bland in comparison to most other music too.

I bought a used copy of this record back in the early-80's and though I had been a fan of the Byrds earlier albums, I only listened to Sweetheart once before decided it wasn't for me. I was never a fan of Country music, so it sounded too country for my tastes, though it still had some elements of "rock" in it. Fast forward a decade later and a lot of the music I was listening to had plenty of Country-rock vibes to it which was updated and "re-branded" in the 80's and 90's, as Alt-Country. This genre produced some great bands, Uncle Tupelo, Long Ryders, Jayhawks etc and opened my ears to the possibilities of meshing rock and country together with an alternative edge. More recently, I have been spinning Sweetheart of the Rodeo often and it's influence and it's pioneering musical style is undeniable. Thank the Byrds for this bold statement in 1968.

4/5. Honestly, the more I listened to it, the better it got. It feels like the quality of a rock/pop band diving into country and making catchy tunes. Some songs don’t fully hit but it is a good album overall. Also, the twangy guitar can get a little old but it’s not bad. The song quality makes up for it. Best song: I Am a Pilgrim, Nothing Was Delivered

This sounds like country and blue grass, and I don't really love country music. I know of the Byrds, but I don't know if I would listen to this voluntarily. I'm into late 60s and early 70s music -- I grew up listening to the Beatles, Yes, and Lynard Skynard (Free Bird! -- and I like country rock that has more rock than country banjos) to name a small dynamic triad. I just imagine Hank Hill with a beer and rocking his head back and forth to this album. Not for me.

OK but country is not my thing

Day 93 I live in the city, but work in a small village quite removed from there; I don't own a car, so I have to ride a bus which leaves me at the outskirts of the town and then I have a 20 minute walk before I get to my workplace. Today is a beautiful, warm sunny day, the sky is bluer than it has been so far this year, and the green is greener too, and while I walk through the village and watch the small houses and the pick up trucks passing, this music sounds just beautiful. I can sense that it is done in a really heartfelt way, I get a sense of how much they loved country music; the harmonies are superb, and while I usually mistrust any attempt at involving Judeo-Christian traditional values, it all comes across with such a level of candor and innocence that I just can't prevent myself from smiling. But all this, as sweet as it sounds, can also be problematic to me: it works at very specific times, when apparently I am in a very special mood. I get the same thing with The Beach Boys, everything is so white, pure, well-intentioned, that I end up missing the grit of say The Sonics, or The Monks. Ok, that might be a bit extreme as an example, but I trust the reader to understand what I mean. Having said that, I really liked You Got a Reputation and Lazy Days, which sound more soulful/garage, somehow Beatles-y, and Pretty Polly, with its story about a gambler that could as well have been told by Johnny Cash, but I am seeing now that those were additional tracks in later releases. All in all, I enjoyed this album pretty much, but I doubt I will attempt to repeat the experience again any time soon. 

This might sound mean, but there's only very few kinds of music that I like less than this. Sorry.

what the fuck happened here? when did the Byrds, the 60s beat psychedelia merchants turn in to a bunch of huyk hyuk cleetus's? its called cuntry for a reason.

Ahh I remember my first rodeo sweetheart. Debra was a 33 stone monster, who ate 13 portions of fish finger sandwiches every day. She was airlifted into the rodeo by a team of highly skilled drones and four contestants from World's Stongest Man on stilts. I couldn't take my eyes off her breathtaking beauty. Literally breathtaking for her, as she struggled to breathe, poor love. She was plonked down on the row in front of me and I could smell her body odour as she panted and wheezed, wondering where the fuck she was. It was love at first sight. I climbed on her back and yelled with delight. She barely noticed, as she was suffering a gigantic heart attack at the time. She died and I was left devastated.

SHACK is big and fairly racist. He also watches fairy racing. Hates Belgians. Eats lamb chops for breakfast.

So, what I'm hearing is... this is all Gram Parsons's fault? All the garbage rock country and hippie redneck nonsense of the last few decades are because Parsons convinced one of the most influential psych rock bands to twang? Well, screw that guy. I'm generally alright with The Byrds but this was nearly unlistenable. The only reason this didn't flat-out fail is because, apparently, The Byrds got tired of their own nonsense and, around 2/3 of the way through, reverted to their rock roots for a a few songs.

So the Byrd's do country. Wish they hadn't.

the byrds' sweetheart of the rodeo is a cute album name, but if you hadn't told me who the artist was, i would never have guessed it was the byrds. really, this album is indistinguishable from their earlier albums, of which i've listened to two as part of this list. the country lean must have happened due to gene clark and david crosby's absence and firing, respectively. i enjoy country music, but this album came across as bland. it's not that good of country music. clark's absence is keenly felt. sure, this album is listenable but it's uninteresting and a drag.

I realize that The Byrds always kind of dabbled in country sounds in their previous albums, but I don't know why The Byrds agreed to go full country here. From the producer perspective, I guess if they wanted to get country music in front of more people, duping them into listening to it by baiting and switching with a psychedelic band is one way to do it. Honestly, this album brings out my least favorite aspects of country music. And the Christian overtones were too much. This just really wasn't my thing.

When I first saw that I got another Byrds album I was honestly pretty upset because they are wayyy overrepresented on this list even if their albums were influential or whatever. I was ready to rip this album apart but unfortunately this album rocked. I'm a sucker for country rock like this and this is about as good as it gets unless you're mainlining marty robbins. It's one of those albums where I don't really have a favorite song it was just a really fun 40 minutes of music.

It was fine but I didn't expect it to be *this* country

This is not my kind of music. "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is.... okay, and I could tolerate it playing in a bar or restaurant I'm at, but this is not what I like. I cannot tolerate any of the other songs.

If you had told me that The Byrds did a country album before today, I wouldn't have believed you.

Just too country for me. I wish I could get more into it. Plus I blame them for helping birth country rock which has now turned into the worst music around today.

I need a Sarsaparilla to get through this

There are so many of their albums in this generator! I really enjoy them but wasn’t feeling the more Christian songs.

This is not a bad album but I think it's too country for my taste. The same melody starts to get tiresome halfway through, the last few songs are more rock and enjoyable. If country is your thing, this one is quite good!

Widely considered the first country rock album (although Michael Nesmith was dipping his toes in the pond beforehand), the Byrds combine this extremely homespun American art form with a burst of colorful psychedelia. It’s refreshing and played beautifully, especially by guitar virtuoso Gram Parsons.

Släpigt och suveränt.

4 good shit

Nope, still allergic to country music.

It was a bit 60's country for my liking. I was waiting for something more like Turn Turn Turn or Tamburine Man, so I was disappointed. 2/5.

Hyuck

On first listen nothing…waited a day to see if something was stuck in my head or my opinion changed, nothing. Just somewhat pleasant mediocrity.

This album is for The Byrds. Country is not their strongest suit. You add Gran Parsons with this album and its subtraction by talented addition. It just doesn’t work all that well.

Not my cup of tea, but must admit that listening to this album was not a burden. Some songs were pretty cool with catchy harmonies and nice instrumentation. I can definitely understand why this work alienated some Byrds fans at the time, but seen in retrospective, it looks like a decent effort. Plus, Gram Parsons’s spectrum lurking these songs gives it extra points.

Today I learned The Byrds have a country album. I'm not really a fan of country, but I promised myself I would give any country album on this a chance. There were some nice parts in some of the songs. There's some really nice piano and fiddle that I enjoyed. I prefer The Byrds more 60's rock sound. I wouldn't judge anyone who enjoys this album, but it's just not for me.

Hmmm christian vibing honkey tonk of the 60s. Easy going and corny. I hate it. Lazy day- solid 50s style rock song. Just too little too late.

Easy-going country music. Pleasing to the ears.

I liked the first song "You Ain't Goin Nowhere," but it all kind of fell apart after that. Their take on country is awkward, it's hard to know whether they're being serious. The fact that Gram Parsons talked them into a country album, then had left the band by the time it was finished, is telling. It wasn't horrible, but given that the only song I really liked was a cover of a Bob Dylan song, I can't rate this highly.

I'd be much more interested in hearing the results of Roger McGuinn's original idea to make a genre spanning double album that started with bluegrass and ended with proto-electronica. That would've been a wild ride. Gram Parsons is cool and all, but I like him better on his own, rather than trying to use The Byrds as the platform for his musical vision.

Not what I expected from the Byrds. Apparently seminal work of country-rock but I generally don't like this sort of honky-tonk country. It gets worse the longer it goes. The Christian Life is hilarious, was that their song to try to appease the country folks saying "look we aren't just crazy hippies!"? It's pretty interesting that they were so derided by the country music community initially as well as losing the majority of their psych crowd. I guess I can respect them for doing what they want and ignore the market, but definitely not for me.

Liked this a surprisingly big amount. Really charming tracks and sometimes some unique lyricism that I appreciated; could see myself blissing out to this like people do The Beatles. Unfortunately, like those loveable lads from Liverpool, this is hamstrung by some truly abhorrent lyrical focus in a number of tracks (and no I'm not just talking about the Christian one). Could never fully sink into this with the amount of misogyny. Three and a half. Fave track: I Am a Pilgrim

Really solid country album, and maybe the best record overall from The Byrds. I think it’s easy to misinterpret (like I first did) some of the more tongue-in-cheek performances as more sincere than they actually are, ie ‘This Christian Life’, but this record has grown on me a lot since my first listen. A lot of fun and great musicianship for an album of mostly covers. 4 and a half stars. Favourite track - You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

Honestly - I think I just don't like country music

Good times. Y'all.

Loved a lot of the songs and it very much reminded me of New Riders of the Purple Sage. Which is a really good thing for me because they’re a favorite, but this album was a huge departure from the Byrds most people know and love. I’ll listen to this album again and again.

Bible bashing country bumpkin shite. Sorry

This was more country than I expected, though after reading about it I guess that was the intent. It was pretty good but not something I really would gravitate to.

I really can't stand this kind of music This is only the 2nd album I couldn't even listen to the end

Byrds goes Country. En helt okej platta.

I don't particularly like this album. But country changed to something so much worse in the late 80s and has never recovered. Just the fact that this is actual country, done competently raises my review of it. Having said that, the outtakes at the end of the Spotify version were far better than the record 8tself.

There is exactly one good song on this album, the last one, and the rest is in fuck country territory

It was good but not really something I’d listen to randomly

Didn't like the album that much, but still thought it was interesting to listen to. The song I liked the most was Hickory Wind

i didn’t love a lot of the songs on this album but it was so different from the other 2 byrds albums it makes it so much better

22nd February 2023 Listened while driving to and from the first Rita rehearsal! Out for dinner at Kibou in the evening for our anniversary. Nice blend of the Byrds soft harmonies with classic country. 3.5 if I could.

Yeah, sure. Okay. But country music is universal like my stubbed toe. So why should I dwell on it?

twangerang

Not really my thing but pretty decent for the genre

Really good. This album ushered in the country rock genre.

One of my favorite albums of all time!!

Fine

A decent take on classic country, but nothing jumped out to me.

I mean. Historical significance aside, every song is a banger. The Dylan songs are the best. Cosmic American music.

Weird album. Good country sound. Wouldn’t call it rock

They went full country here! I bet Wilco like it.

The jingle got well and truly jangled here. Have heard a couple of the tracks before on their best of where they slotted in nicely. A few steps on the trajectory got missed to reach this point and it doesn't work.

Gentle. Undemanding. I wonder, is there is a Rock Family Trees of the Byrds? That would be quite a task, thrashing the myriad associations into anything resembling a coherent narrative. (mind you, there's no reason for it to be coherent. These relationships were anything but.) (Re. RFT. There isn't. Cowards. There is a Fleetwood Mac one, though. Needs updating, one imagines. Never a dull moment with those ones either.)

A pretty good country sounding album that didn’t get too much into stereotypical country topics. There was one song about being christian but other than that it was a good sounding album

Genre: This Byrds material is Folk/Rock. I love the Byrds, but nothing on this album really hit the spot for me. There was nothing wrong it, but it wasn’t “Mr Tambourine Man” or “Turn, Turn, Turn (earlier releases). I won’t be revisiting this album.

Too country

Country rock. Ni fu ni fa.

A bit too country and too folk for me. I liked the second half more Saved tracks: You Got A Reputation, Lazy Days, Pretty Polly

Country music.

So bad

Front half is very twangy bluegrass with lots of gospel lyrics. Settles into a country folk-rock back half that I enjoyed more, but I was so annoyed by the first half I basically just ran out the clock wanting this to end.

Country rock. Ni fu ni fa.

Folk, normal.

Generic country riffs, generic country singing, generic country lyrics, generic country star rating. Avoid and stick with Turn Turn Turn.

This sounds like the start of a lot of country western pop that I can't stand. Well played, just not interesting to me.

Great album, the last I've heard from The Byrds and easily their most country one. They still have that magic touch when they cover Dylan songs, although there's only one of them here.

Uneventful pastoral country folk that will make you pray for it to stop.

Interesting album by the byrds, nice touch of country and good harmonies.

Not something that I would listen to everyday, but hey... it's The Byrds, so it's great! A very nice country album fulfilled with strong vocal harmonies, insane guitar licks and powerful production. Is it one of the best 1001 albums of all time? Probably not, but I enjoyed its presence here anyway.

Kinda boring. I like some music by the Byrds, but not much on this album…

good listen

Nä, ett riktigt bottennapp tyvärr. Countryrocken är svår. När allt stämmer låter det bra, annars blir det så här. Låter religiöst och (förlåt) "bonnigt". Speciellt äckligt kristet blir det i 'I Am a Pilgrim' och 'The Christian Life'. Eller hur kul låter den här killen, från 'The Christian Life': "My buddies shun me, since I turned to Jesus They say I'm missin' a whole world of fun I live without them and walk in the light I like the Christian life" Toppenkul! Albumet räddas (nåväl) av några starkare spår. Båda låtarna skrivna av Dylan (tack papi) - 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere' och 'Nothing Was Delivered' - håller högre klass. Även Gram Parsons 'One Hundred Years From Now' lyfter litegrann. Bästa låt: Nothing Was Delivered.

Ugh, ojalá se hubieran quedado en la sicodelia.

I like country rock, but this was maybe a bit too high a ratio of country to rock. Still love the Byrds and appreciate the great harmonies though. They were definitely innovators, but this one is not among my favorites. 3 stars.

Nyce album cover, but unfortunately, Y'm not gyvyng out stars for album covers. The fyrst song was good enough, but what followed was medyocre and contryved attempts at country musyc. How many rodeos have these cyty slyckers been to anyway? One brand new, shyny, never broken yn cowboy boot out of fyve. 👢

Not my favourite byrds record

PREFS : You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, The Christian Life, One Hundred Years From Now, Life in Prison, Nothing Was Delivered MOINS PREF : I Am a Pilgrim

A good old fashioned snooze of a country music record. Boring and dull with only flashes of fun ideas.

Hilarious story. I'm glad it exists. But it's not very good is it

Country crap

Country-rock is a genre I don't immediately warm to, and the balance has to be exactly right. It is pretty much spot on here and it's a great listen. It's 3 and a half rather than 3, but probably for me not a 4 though for lots of others clearly will be.

Nice easy listening

Very nice

Notes - Country rock album by the Byrds - They decided to do a big genre shift after seeing their popularity decline - Originally they got pushback but the album has gone on to be a big part of “outlaw country” and country rock in general - A mix of covers, traditional country songs, and originals - Seen as significant for just how big of a risk it was - But to me….. hugely disappointing after how much I liked younger than yesterday - Bit of a Snooze fest Fav - Dunno the songs all sound the same to me - You aint goin nowhere - I guess Least fav - Life in prison 1/5 - OOF what a disappointment

This felt somehow dated and old fashioned in the sound

Another interesting one by The Byrds, each of their albums so far has had a very distinct sound and personality which I really appreciate. This one felt a bit samey after a while but I had a great twenty minutes or so with it

Parece que todo el LP es una sola canción, suena igual....

Sounds like the layering and some of the irony belongs to the Byrds; For the rest, they put on the country costume and it fits like second skin. For obvious reasons, this warms my technically-Canadian California "cowboy" heart. There's a thick almost-squareness all over the songs of Sweetheart, as the band leans into the religious roots of the music. But if it's tropey and too-perfect it's also stunningly competent. Pop-country done right and early.

Good country sounding music

Reminded me of the Dead but got a little repetitive. 3.5/5.

Not bad but not my normal listen.

This is my third Byrds album in 66 albums so far, which seems insane (in contrast I haven't seen a single Beatles album yet), so I am feeling like they are really overrepresented on the list, especially since I am definitely not a hard core Byrds fan. That said, this is my absolute favorite of their albums, and that is because it's really more of a Gram Parsons album with a little Byrds on the side, and I can get behind some Gram Parsons. You can hear the influence this had on country and alt-country, and the album is packed with great songs (even if, ironically, I prefer other versions of those songs, but again, I'm not a huge Byrds fan!). While there are arguably too many Byrds albums on the list, this album deserves its place on the list in my opinion. 4/5 for importance and impact.

Why is this on here??? Why??? The byrds really don’t need this many albums especially that this one is just some dumb jaunty folk shit for half an hour.

Good Thanksgiving music

Really solid country album. Love the slide guitar on here. As well as the saloon piano.

The Byrds shit on my car

Well recorded but not for me thank you

Not a fan of this at all, skipped through a few songs. Just not what I'm into musically.

dios. 5.5/10

Not for me

Yeah I’d rather listen to any earlier Byrds album over this. Too little variety.

kinda boring

I get that they're trying to show that a bunch of hippie rockers like them can make a country music. They definitely can, but that doesn't mean that their generic and character-less set of country covers are enjoyable.

You ain’t going nowhere

The Byrds in general aren't exactly my thing (except for their more jangle pop and raga stuff), but I do recognize the importance of this album, and it overall doesn't have any bad songs, just forgettable ones. You Ain't Going Nowhere is cool, and Pretty Polly is severely underrated.

Not really my vibe

Dit is helemaal niet wat ik me herinnerde van een album van The Byrds dat ik ooit veel draaide. Weg ermee!

Dit is me te country, ook al zijn het The Byrds.

Ugh wat onzetten saai en jengelend. Die steel guitar is niet te harden.

We hadden The Byrds eerder, en toen is het me niet opgevallen dat ze zulke stichtelijke teksten hadden. Misschien komt dat omdat ze hier meer de countrykant opgaan.

Not sure why this album generator loves The Byrds so much

Reading this album’s reviews and I’m baffled this has a 2.85 rating. I’m even MORE baffled by all the 1 and 2 star reviews simply titled “Country sucks!” or something like that. I understand why country is i totally off putting - I myself used to despise everything it stood for. At some point, I started listening to Cash, and that softened me, but SotR is really what blew the whole thing open for me. It’s just so fucking brilliant. For all of his yuppie Harvard money, Gram Parsons was a musical genius. This record perfectly personifies the word “twang” while borrowing equally from psychedelic and rock music. From the opening punch of “You Ain’t Goin Nowhere” to the satirical gospel of “The Christian Life”, this is all killer no filler. If you write this one off because it’s “country”, you are doing yourself a HUGE disservice. Don’t be so cynical!

Maybe least favorite offering for this band from this list. Still too many Dylan covers, and ones I don’t think do much for the songs. The traditional and pseudo-traditional themes in this rockified Country have the same bizarre twinge as most of Zeppelin’s blues covers.

Not as good as other Byrds albums I’ve heard

Enjoyable.

Somewhere between 3 and 4

No idea this was a country album. Thought the Byrds were the tambourine man people. Maybe they are. They're Taylor before Taylor was born.

Pretty interesting change of pace. The harmonies are nice and there are some pretty cool guitar parts hidden amongst the songs. The songs themselves are pleasant, but pretty boring. The Christian Life was a bit clever/cheeky, but otherwise nothing exceptionally interesting. Still a fine listen.

09/29/2022 Honestly not the best. Title track is the highlight and it’s the first on the album, so after that you’re kinda just left hanging with mediocre cowboy songs — Fighting to get through the days. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my favorite bc at least I get to go home early

A bad pastiche of some very old music - sounds like someone trying to recreate Johnny Cash or Eagles having only heard them once. Not what I expected from The Byrds, and not as good. Decent enough I guess, but nothing memorable in the whole album.

As an album on its own, it's not all that bad but I can't say I enjoyed it all that much. I do think there are a couple tracks like 'You Got A Reputation' and 'Pretty Polly' that sit in the middle of where the band was and where they were aiming to go, which I found a lot more interesting than the majority of the album. I get the impression that the album is less on the list for how individually great it is and more for the fact that it was a complete revamp of a widely popular band's sound/genre. There are other examples of bands doing this (Ministry's early albums, Garth Brooks' grunge album under the name Chris Gaines, Eddie Vedders ukulele album to a lesser extent). I can't recall a band that has navigated this transition well and certainly not in the span of a single album. If there was a group that did that, I could see why that transitional album would be here.

Prefer the earlier Byrds much. This is quite pleasant sounding though!

While a few tracks were really very good, I found the album largely uninteresting. I’ve had friends who really loved and admired the Byrds, but I haven’t been able to connect with their music very well.

Guess what, it's a Byrds album and the best songs are Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie covers. They're not at their best when they go full country, and they go full country a lot here. Best track: You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

Not a big Byrds fan. I was actually interested in this since I generally like country rock and was curious to hear an album important to the genre. It was OK. It sounded run if the mill, which might not be their fault but because so many have tried to reproduce the sound. A respectful 3. Maybe this would've sounded better when it first dropped, but if I want this style I'll go to Uncle Tupelo, Lucero, etc

Country? Wasn't expecting that. Not bad though. 3/5

Nope. Look, as someone who's vehemently against all organized religion, some of the songs here made me nauseous and angry at the dopey "aw shucks, I'm just a good ol' Christian, putting up with all these sinners" shtick. I also despise almost all country music, so, yeah, put it in the trash and set it on fire.

Second album from The Byrds in three days, but they are so wildly different from each other, it might have been centuries between those two. "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" takes turn, as you might have guessed by the title, into the uncharted territory of country music. It's also very helpful that yesterday's album was by George Jones, one of the staples in country music history. This gives me some room for comparison between those two albums. The Byrds leaned heavily into country style, leaving no room for soft, or psychedelic rock they were exemplifying before. Also, contrary to Jones music, they started playing a sort of group/band country, with plenty of instruments, with lyrics being just somewhere in the background. As a result, this album is not as good as previous one, and the change made the band 'just another one out there'.

yag

The Byrds lose their jangle and vo full country with Gram Parsons. Ridiculed by the country establishment at the time. Ots fine but it can be a tiresome genre with so many clichéd tropes.

Definitely not the worst country music I've ever heard, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it. I think the singer's voice was soothing. My favourite song was probably Pretty Polly, but nothing particularly stood out to me.

Not my cup of moonshine

Could have done without this one. Mediocre country.

Ovo je vrlo utjecajan album u razvoju americane ali meni nikad nije skroz lega

i mean it’s ight first song was fye but that’s bout it

A few good songs Ion fuck with country tho

Standard country music, it's OK

a little too folkie

Not my cup of tea: too much country here

I've heard some of these tracks and others by The Byrds before. I can hear from this the influence they'd have on acts that followed, especially as the members fanned out into the rock and pop world of the 70s. It's fine to listen to; doesn't really compel me to re-listen though, on a personal preference level.

5/10. Another meh album from the birbs

No more Byrds. Please. 4/10

It's good.

Wow. So the Byrds are to blame. Seriously, this is in fact the first Country Rock album. It sounds more like a country album. Or at least what I consider a straight-up country album. As it is, I am not a big fan of that type of music, but recognizing that this is really the first instance of this type of genre makes me a little more appreciative of it. Probably my favorite track was the Dylan track "Nothing Was Delivered."

Meh. Not a big fan of country or of country rock (and hard to see the difference here). Nothing terrible but nothing all that memorable either. I'll give it a 3 knowing that this was a major pioneering album for the country rock sound and a fairly big departure from The Byrds earlier sound.

The Byrds’ country album was a sweet and mellow listen. It’s a short album and mostly filled with covers. The doesn’t detract from it though. The album is a bit of a rebuilding too after the group fell apart during the Notorious Bird Brothers. It also is probably their last great album and their weakest in that regard. As much as it was a pleasant listen, I don’t think that it needs to be on the list, and I can see this one being set aside for future editions of the book. It gets a solid 3 for some decent tunes but and the Byrds taking a chance by going in a direction their fans didn’t expect but it didn’t really wow me enough make me want to listen again and if I didn’t already know their earlier albums it wouldn’t have motivated me to go and check them out.